Who is the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition?

Our mission is to reverse the trend of mass incarceration in Colorado. We are a coalition of nearly 7,000 individual members and over 100 faith and community organizations who have united to stop perpetual prison expansion in Colorado through policy and sentence reform.

Our chief areas of interest include drug policy reform, women in prison, racial injustice, the impact of incarceration on children and families, the problems associated with re-entry and stopping the practice of using private prisons in our state.

Monday, September 24, 2007

A new business may build on the land once slated for a much-debated prison in the town of Ault.

Metal Solutions Inc. of Windsor, a structural and steel fabrication company, recently came before the town board to present a proposal for a warehouse on the Ault Industrial Site. Until last spring, a private company was working toward building a prison on the land.

Plans for the facility came to a halt in May when the Colorado Department of Corrections rescinded its offer to GEO Group, which would have built the facility. The 1,500-bed medium-security prison was proposed in the spring of 2006 when the town board entered into an agreement with the company, which sparked controversy among town residents. Months later, an ordinance requiring resident approval was passed.

After seeing the informal presentation by Metal Solutions, Trustee David Janssen said the warehouse seems like a good fit for Ault. He was encouraged by the company's estimates that the facility could eventually employ up to 15 people.

"You're going to get something here: people employed here, who buy homes here and make Ault their community," he said.

he town planning board still must consider Metal Solutions' proposal before it comes up for a board vote.